Residents criticize Columbia County library policy changes and new regional board at July 1 meeting

Several Columbia County residents used public comment time on July 1 to sharply criticize recent library policy changes, the county’s role in creating a new regional library board and what they described as a hasty reconsideration process that has driven staff departures.

At a committee meeting earlier, residents said, the county moved to dissolve the county advisory library board and transition to a new regional board. Karen Parham, addressing the board, said no appointments have been made to the new regional board and warned the county had effectively “created a shell of a board, so it doesn't have to hold public meetings while creating policies for the new region behind closed doors.”

Parham told commissioners she and local library staff consider the new guidelines unethical and that “most of our library staff feel betrayed,” saying circulation and children’s staff have left local branches. She said reconsideration requests were handled improperly and that the stated reshelving plan had not…